Politico: GOP: We'll take back the House
GOP leaders have privately settled on a strategy to win back the House by putting the vast majority of their money and energy into attacking Democrats — and turning this election into a national referendum on the party in power.

New York Times: Cuomo’s War Chest Is Five Times as Big as Paterson’s
Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has not formally announced his candidacy for governor, but he is already running ahead in the fund-raising race.Mr. Cuomo is to report on Friday that he has more than $16 million in his campaign account, dwarfing Gov. David A. Paterson’s war chest of more than $3 million.

New York Times: 3rd-Party Candidate Named Kennedy Could Tip Senate Race in Massachusetts
In most elections, a politician calling himself the Tea Party candidate would cheer Democrats, raising hopes that he would siphon votes from Republicans by attracting some of the disaffected anti-Washington, anti-Obama electorate.But when the election is being held to fill a seat that was left vacant by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and the Tea Party candidate happens to be named Joe Kennedy, things get a little murkier.

Boston Globe: Brown’s run may be model for GOP
National GOP strategists say that the unexpected tightening in the Massachusetts Senate race has demonstrated the potency of the electorate’s antipathy for the Democratic health care legislation, and that Republican Scott Brown’s campaign could become a template for Republican challengers across the country in this year’s midterm elections.

CNN: Source: Terror threat by 'viable operatives' extends beyond aviation
Information gained since the attempted airplane bombing on Christmas Day has U.S. officials concerned that al Qaeda in Yemen has "trained and equipped ... viable operatives" to strike U.S. targets - including targets unrelated to aviation, a reliable source familiar with the investigation told CNN Thursday.

CBS News: Alleged Quake Scams Popping Up Already
Less than 24 hours after Tuesday's devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the FBI received complaints of charity fraud."The Early Show" has learned that the bureau is considering criminal charges against one Web site soliciting donations for victims of the temblor.

New York Times: Cuba Agrees to U.S. Medevac Flights
The United States has struck an agreement with the Cuban government to send medical evacuation flights with victims from the Haiti earthquake through restricted Cuban airspace, an official said, reducing the flight time to Miami by 90 minutes.

New York Times: Iraqi Commission Bars Nearly 500 Candidates
Iraq’s independent electoral commission on Thursday barred about 500 candidates from running in parliamentary elections in March, among them an influential Sunni Muslim politician, in a decision that could stoke sectarian tensions here and deprive the vote of crucial legitimacy in the eyes of part of the electorate.

CNNMoney: Obama calls for bailout tax
President Obama on Thursday called on Congress to tax the largest banks to ensure that U.S. taxpayers don't lose a penny from the federal bailout of the financial, auto and insurance industries over the past year.

Wall Street Journal: Banks Set for Record Pay
Major U.S. banks and securities firms are on pace to pay their people about $145 billion for 2009, a record sum that indicates how compensation is climbing despite fury over Wall Street's pay culture.

Wall Street Journal: Concern About Fees Threatens to Delay Olympic Bidding
After years of bidding up fees for the rights to televise sports, U.S. media companies are putting on the brakes. Richard Carrion, a member of the International Olympic Committee's executive board, said the organization is seriously considering delaying until next year the bidding for the U.S. media rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics because of the ongoing struggles of broadcasters hurt by a rocky advertising market.